A/N: Alright, here you go. Posting a little early, because I leave for vacation tomorrow and I'm sorry, but there's a chance you won't be getting a new chapter until the 6th of April. We'll see how everything turns out, but I do intend to try for a chapter a week so...who knows? The chapters still won't be incredibly long though, but since I'm getting back into writing prose I don't expect more than maybe six pages per chapter (this is just barely over 4pgs.).

Anyway, I'm quite pleased with this one, though that might just be because I outlined most of it. Sorry in advance for anyone hoping to jump straight into the action, but there are some mysteries I needed to set up and I wanted a nice relaxed writing experience before I left. Today, has been incredibly stressful.

But, y'all didn't come here to read me babble so I'll let you get on with the story. Enjoy and please leave me feedback! I live off it!

Snow White watched in silence as her daughter hugged Henry goodbye. Everything in her wanted to protest this—why did the rules change at all? It didn't seem…she sighed and looked at the sand beneath her feet. She didn't have any right to argue with Emma about leaving and she knew it.

Her relationship with her daughter was already delicate enough, trying to stop her from going without them or delaying this mission by searching for another way to accompany her would only lead to another fight and more disappointment. And she was so very tired of disappointing her child, but letting Emma leave to find Killian on her own was not Snow's definition of keeping her promise.

Mary Margaret sat the long wooden table in her daughter's kitchen. A steaming mug of tea growing cold between her hands.

"What would that have gotten me, Mother?"

Emma's pissed off growl of an answer had been haunting her for days now. Mary Margaret sniffed and stared blankly at the table top. Everyone had gotten their memories back hours ago, a—gift of sorts Hook had called it. Some gift. Her thoughts were heavy with self-deprecation and shame.

Footsteps on the stairs alerted her to her husband. She turned her head slightly his way in acknowledgement when he squeezed her shoulder on his way to the tea kettle.

"How…?" her voice barely a whisper.

David paused his pouring, shoulders slumped. A firm shake of the head had her turning back to her mug. He joined her a minute later. They sat in broken quiet for awhile, until Mary Margaret forced her vocal cords to work.

"Regina called…"

David looked at her, but his wife's gaze was still locked on her mug.

"Henry won't talk to her," she continued, "won't even come out of his room. She said Robin's having a hard time too, but he's got Roland to think about so..."

David sighed and took a small sip of tea.

"How did things get so messed up?"

A beat, then:

"What if it's our fault…?"

Her husband locked eyes on her immediately.

"Snow?"

When she finally looked back, he almost wished she hadn't. Her eyes with red and glistening with unshed tears. It broke his heart to see her so torn up.

"Emma didn't go to anyone for help once we got back here."

David was shaking his head before she even finished, "Emma pushes people away when she's scared or stressed. She knew she could come to us, she just—"

"Did she?"

"Yes," he reached for her hand, but she moved it away. "Snow…honey, I-I know things with Emma have been…rocky to say the least—"

His wife scoffed at his terminology.

"—but we have to believe—"

SLAP!

Mary Margaret's hand stung from force she used on the table, but it got the job done. Her husband instantly fell quiet.

"I don't want to rely on blind faith anymore, David! She's our daughter and we made her doubt us. Don't you ever think about what happened in Camelot! Emma begged us, she begged us to help her save him and we didn't—we wouldn't—all because we were too concerned with dark magic!"

She glared at him through her tears, not caring that they were making her a mess.

"David don't you see? She pushed Henry and Killian away to protect them, but she didn't come to us because she didn't trust us! She didn't trust us to help her." She buried her face in her hands and dissolved into tears; David drawing her to his chest. When her sobs lessened, Mary Margaret leant back to look her husband in the eye.

"We need to make a promise—to ourselves, but more importantly to Emma. We need to fight for her happy ending, we need to protect it at all costs—no matter what. Emma shouldn't have to sacrifice her happiness and future for this town. We've asked far too much of her lately; it can't go on."

David rested his head on hers, they hugged each other tightly.

"I wholeheartedly agree."

Snow jerked a little when warm fingers interlace with her own; her eyes followed the arm brushing against hers up to her husband's worried yet understanding face. Charming squeezed their hands together and offered a little smile. Snow smiled back and nodded; let her prince lead her to their daughter.

Emma was in conversation with Regina and Robin, when they got there. Robin, almost sensing the prince and princess, clasped Emma on the shoulder before drawing the queen away. David could tell that despite the conversation they'd had before coming here, Emma still wasn't thrilled about being left alone with her parents. That stung, even if they deserved it.

Snow offered her a cautious smile before tentatively going in for a hug; Emma hugged back but didn't relax into it.

"You'll find him, Emma."

Emma pulled back and nodded, "That's what Henry said."

David grinned, "Henry's a smart kid."

He went for a hug too, which Emma also accepted a bit stiffly and which also ended too soon.

"I'm sorry we can't go with you; the whole point of us coming down here was to find him together."

Emma couldn't help but smile at that, "I know."

Emma bit her lip. Her parents were clearly trying. She closed her eyes and took a determined breath. When she opened them, her parents were anxiously watching her. She almost folded her arms over her chest, but refrained. Forgiveness was a two-way street after all.

"Look can you guys do something for me?"

Snow took a step forward, "Of course, sweetie. What is it?"

"Try and see if you can find another way to Hades' palace. Something's off about this arrangement."

Snow and David exchanged looks; Snow locked eyes with Emma, her voice lowered.

"You can feel it too, huh?"

"Oh yeah."

The Savior nodded toward Liam; the captain hugging his mother and the baby, the former of whom kept alternating between sending the ferryman distraught frowns and irate glares. It wasn't so much her behavior, as the ferryman's that made Emma suspicious. The man hadn't really made eye-contact with any of them, but the way he was blatantly, almost nervously, avoiding the woman's eyes? Yeah, that was weird.

Agreeing to be on the lookout, Emma drew them in for another hug, which was interrupted by a certain curly haired captain.

"We're not leaving for a six-month voyage, Highnesses," he called, standing just before the fog that shrouded the dock where their ride was waiting. "Let's move Princess, if you going and you royals better not traumatize my mother while we're gone. I may be dead, but you're not and my blade can deal you damage."

Emma rolled her eyes as he disappeared toward the boat. Henry ran to her for one last hug, but Liam was right—time to go. She kissed her son's crown and followed Liam into the fog.

A/N: So yeah, first chapter of many that features a flashback. I was actually really excited to write this chapter, because I was looking forward to typing out this particular memory. There was another flashback I was going to use instead, but I've got other plans for it.

I want to thank Filipinagirl04, Alexa, and Emilee Amethyst for their kind comments. You guys are really helping me out, I was really nervous to post this story because it's been so long since I've written anything non-script. So, thank you!

Thank you everyone else reading this too! Seeing the viewer counter go up has been helping me with my confidence too.

(p.s. I didn't mention this in the other chapters, but this fic is cross-posted on both my AO3 and Tumblr. FFN's been a little...crash-y lately from what I've heard, so if it happens again, I don't want you guys worrying. Okay, well that's it. Thanks again to everyone reading!)